Neck bearing oiler for cream separators



. Dec- 1 1935- w. H. HARsTlcK f 2,062,573

NECK BEARING OILER FOR CREAM'SEPARATORS Filed April 4, 1955 ujenor Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED AS12/iras PATENT oFFlc-,E

ration of New Jersey Application April 4, 1935, serial No. 14,625

2 claims. (c1. 184,-;13) V The invention relates ygenerally to centrifugal creamseparators of the type embodying a separator bowl carried by the upper end of a vertically disposed drive spindle, said spindle having g, its lower end associated with a thrust bearing and 'itsupper end adjacent the bowl associated with. a so-called flexible neck bearing. This structure, with the exception of the bowl, is located inV an oil containing housing'wherein a 1C- large drive or ring gear picks up oil to splash it to the parts requiring lubrication. The neck bearing mentioned, however, is so located in the top of the housing as to make splash lubrication thereof too uncertain, and, accordingly, this in- 15 vention more particularly relates to improved means for insuring positive and effective lubrication of'said neck bearing. 'I'he primaryobject of the invention, accordingly, isy to provide an improved means for oiling o cream separator neck bearings.

Another object is to provide a simple means for o iling cream separator spindle neck bearings, which 'means may fbe easily associated with certain standard types of cream separators without materially changing the structure thereof. Still' another object of the invention is generally to improve the operating eiciencyof kcream I separators.V

Other important objects will become apparent 30 to those skilled in this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briefly, such important objects may be attained in a conventional type of cream separator, having an oil containing housing, in which is located 35 a ring gear that drives the vertical spindle upon which is carried the separator bowl outside said housing, The top of the housing is depressed to form a well in which to locate the bowl. In the bottom of this well is tted a exible neck bearing for journaling the upper end of the drive spindle. The ring gear rotates rapidly to pick up oil and splash it around the interior of the housing to lubricate such parts as require lubrication, but, as the neck bearing is located in,a 45 manner making it dicult for the gear to throw oil thereto, this invention provides a special oil trap, or catcher, located effectively to receive oil thrown tangentially oil the rim of said drive gear. This trapped oil is then lead by gravity 50 feed through a passage in the well bottom that communicates with a spout that serves to dripthe oil directly and continuously on the neck bearing for the purpose of positively lubricating the same. 55 In the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrating a practicable forniof `the invention as applied to a conventional cream sep'a`=rator,y

Figure 1 is a verticalsectinal view through thecreamseparator structure, showing the improved neck bearing oiler;

Figure 2 is a' detail elevational ViewV of the oil trapyand, I

FigureSis a plan sectional view of the neck bearing cover plate taken along the line 3 3 -of o Figure l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The cream separator `comprises a stand III,v on which is carried a gear housing I-I having a bath of oil I'2- therein. vThe upper portion of said housing is depressed to forma well I3 having a'bott'om I4 formed withan opening to receive 15 an annulus 'I5 supporting a neck bearing I'6 "held, yieldifn'glyv or flexibly, by theannular spring I1'. This bearing assembly is closed at its top by a cover plate I8.` o o The 'cover plate I8: hasan opening centrally formed therein forenabling a vertically disposed drive spindle" I9' to be passed therethrough, said spindle shaft "being journaled atitsupper end in the flexibly mounted bearing structure described. Mounted on the upper end of the spindle I9 ,withinthe recess or well I3, the usual? way',isI the centrifugal cream s'eparator`bowl=2ll`. 'The spindle at its lower end is mounted/on aball bearing'ZI andis 'also journaled in another thrust' bearing 22 appropriately mounted in the wall of the housing II, as shown. The spindle includes a gear r23 driven from a large ring gear 24 journaled on a transverse shaft mounted suitably in the housing II. l

As the gear 24 rotates, it picks up oil to throw it upwardly and splash it within the housing on the parts therein requiring lubrication. Because of the location of the neck bearing I6 in the bottom I4, it is diicult for the same to receive effectively a satisfactory supply of the lubricant. Obviously, the tangential throw of oil from the gear 24 is such that it is not directed in Sullicient quantity to this neck bearing and, as it is highly important properly to lubricate said bearing, the following structure is provided to solve municates with a transverse downwardly inclined bore, or passage, 28 formed in the bottom I4, as shown, said bore serving to lead the oil toward the bearing I6 which is to be lubricated. This bore 28 is in communication with a short upstanding" pipe 29 located in a bore provided in the bottom I4 and overhanging flange of the annulus I5, as shown in Figure 1. The oil is thus le'd to a point under the cover plate I8 where it is received by a conduit 30 radially formed in the plate I8, as shown in Figure 3. The end of this conduit 30 terminates at a point directly over the balls in the bearing I6, where the lower portion of the terminal end of said conduit is formed with a bent down spout 3l,

from which the oil will drip in an obvious manner onto the bearing.

It is observed that the column of liquid or oil in the trap 21 will always be higher than `the column of oil in the vertical pipe 29 and, as a result, the oil will continuously flow from the trap through the bore 28 and conduit 30, from whence it drips off the spout lip 3| onto the bearing where it is needed.

The operation of this improved neck bearing oiler is simple, fool-proof, and effective, the same insuring positive and ample delivery of oil to the bearing all the while the cream separator is Working and the ring gear 24 is turning.-

It must now be appreciated that 'an improved oiler for the purpose described has been provided, which attains all of the desirable objects of the invention heretofore recited.

The intention is to cover all changes and modications of the preferred example chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not in material respects depart from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is covered by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cream separator having an oil containing gear housing formed at its upper end with a vertical wall forming a bowl recess having a horizontal floor with an opening therethrough, a collar carried on the floor and suspended in said opening, said collar including a radially inwardly disposed annular vertical wall, a ball bearing unit carried on the said annular wall, said bearing journaling the upper end of an upright spindle the lower end of which is combination therewith of an oiling means for the ball bearing unit comprising a cover plate having an aperture through which the-spindle is passed, means for securing the plate to the collar, said plate being ,formed with a radial oil duct to drip oil onto the balls in the ball bearing unit, a trap mounted on the outside of the bowl recess wall for catching splashed oil from the gear, and a conduit leading from the trap through the bowl recess oor and the collar to said duct.

2. In a cream separator having an oil containing gear housing formed at its upper end with a vertical wall providing a bowl recess having a horizontal door with an opening therethrough, a collar carried on the oor and suspended in said opening, said collar including a radially inwardly disposed annular vertical Wall,` a ball bearing unit carried on the said annular wall, said bearing journaling the upper end of an upright spindle the lower end of which is journaled in the bottom of the gear housing, an annular flexible member carried in the collar and having a portion in which the ball bearing unit is yieldably disposed, a gear in the housing which splashes oil'from the bottom of the housing to the outer surface of the wall of the bowl receiving recess, the combination therewith of an oiling means for the ball bearing unit comprising a cover plate having an aperture through which the spindle is passed, means for securing the plate to the collar, said plate including a radial oil duct to drip oil onto the balls in the ball bearing unit, a trap on the outer surface of the wall of the bowl recess for catching 

